About The Madeleine Brand Show

The Madeleine Brand Show, exclusively on 89.3 KPCC, 89.1 KUOR and 90.3 KVLA, captures the spirit of the West in a conversational, informal, witty style and examines the cultural issues people are buzzing about. Hosted by Madeleine Brand, and produced by Kristen Muller, Steve Proffitt and Sanden Totten, the show includes regular segments like Weird L.A. - highlighting a person, place or thing that you've never heard about, but probably should; Parenting on the Edge - a weekly discussion on the challenges and pitfalls of raising kids; as well as regular contributors like Luke Burbank, Rico Gagliano, Brendan Newnam and John Moe to help dissect culture, technology and business news.

Actor, comedian and musician Andy Griffith, died today at age 86 at his home in North Carolina. Griffith starred in "The Andy Griffith Show," "Mayberry R.F.D." and the long-running "Matlock," and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Griffith was born to a poor family, and grew up loving music and theater. He got his start in comedy while working as a teacher and performing on the side. His skits portraying a naive, but lovable, country bumpkin were incredibly popular.

His skits eventually landed him a spot on The Ed Sullivan Show, and his first major role in the 1957 film "A Face in the Crowd," and several more roles in Holywood movies. Then, in 1960, he got the chance to create his own show about small town life. The rest is TV land history.

Besides playing the sheriff of Mayberry, Griffith also play a cantakerous, but wise, lawyer in seersucker suit for the show "Matlock."

Griffith was also a singer and guitar player, he received a Grammy in 1997 for best Southern Country Bluegrass or Gospel Album, and was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.